The Daily

Blackout! 2

Ten years after their original team-up album, mans Method and Red return, but most of the producers who made Blackout! a near-perfect party soundtrack weren’t invited back. “AYO” and “Hey Zulu” feature high-energy production, but suffer from incorporating already irritating elements from modern ringtone rap. “Four Minutes to Lock Down,” featuring Raekwon and Ghostface, is a nice Forever-era throwback for Wu Tang fans, but it’s nothing the Clan hasn’t done better before. Though Bun-B’s spot on “City Lights” is eye-catching, Nasty Kutt’s competent Houston-aping beat does little but rattle doors and all three MCs operate on cruise control, spitting verses in homage to Charlie Chaplin’s famously heartwarming silent comedy. Just kidding — under “City Lights” is where everyone gets “tore up.” Lyrics rarely stray beyond the standard liquor, blunts, and bitches blueprint (which gets old even before “How High” rehash “Dis Iz 4 All My Smokers”), but “Dangerous MCees,” which benefits by production from Blackout! alum Erick Sermon, showcases the charismatic duo at its best, dropping goofy but technically talented battle rhymes and punch lines.